Chard and ricotta lasagne (lasaña de verdura)
Layers of pasta with a chard and ricotta filling, white sauce, tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. In Argentina and Uruguay ‘verdura’ means chard or spinach; it's also made with courgettes, squash or aubergine.
- 1 h 45Time
- 48 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 49 gprotein per portion
- 930kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 1 kgSwiss chard, leaves only
- 500 gRicotta
- 1Egg
- 60 gGrated cheese
- to tasteNutmeg
- to tasteSalt
- to tasteBlack pepper
- 2 tbspRapeseed oil
- 1Yellow onion, chopped
- 2 clovesGarlic, chopped
- 500 gCrushed tomatoes
- 1 tspOregano
- 3 tbspButter
- 3 tbspPlain flour
- 600 mlMilk
- 12Lasagne sheets, no-precook
- 250 gMozzarella, thinly sliced
Method
- Wash the chard, cut away the thick stalks and blanch the leaves in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain, cool, squeeze out the water firmly and chop the leaves finely.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and soften the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano and salt and simmer the sauce gently for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the white sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until thickened. Season with nutmeg and salt.
- Heat the oven to 180 °C. Mix the chard with the ricotta, egg, half the grated cheese, salt and pepper.
- Spread a little tomato sauce over the base of a 20 × 30 cm ovenproof dish and add a layer of lasagne sheets. Continue layering filling, white sauce and tomato sauce, finishing with sheets covered with white sauce, the rest of the tomato sauce, the mozzarella and the rest of the grated cheese.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Cover with foil for the first 20 minutes if the top browns too quickly.
- Leave the lasagne to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
